Featuring Palisades Growth Capital and Okapi Venture Capital
Good morning! Or afternoon, depending on when you’re reading this. Welcome back to Connect’s VC Connection, our Venture Capital newsletter. Where we showcase exceptional VC firms, giving you better insight into their areas of focus and investment criteria. We hope that this newsletter will shine some light in the deep waters of Venture Capital.
This week we are showcasing two Southern California firms helping assist the Southern California Region, Palisades Growth Capital and Okapi Venture Capital.
The VC Connection is a semi-regular, ongoing newsletter where we profile funds that we have developed relationships with. If you would like to see other firms we know, feel free to browse through our curated VC List, “Other VC Firms.”
Based in Los Angeles, Palisades Growth positioned themselves in the center of the growing Southern California ecosystem, striving to fill the gap between early stage venture capital and private equity firms.
Palisades invests in scalable capital efficient Southern California technology companies with a focus on enterprise B2B SaaS. Typically, looking for companies that are generating revenues of $5M to $50M or are near cash flow break-even.
The firm is currently investing out of their second fund and raising their third fund between $150M to $200M. Primarily investing around $5M to $20M of their capital into growth stage investments with a proven business model and long-term growth potential.
Thesis: Enterprise Software and Technology Enabled Companies
Industry: Software, Mobile, and SaaS
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Stage: Series A and Growth
Initial Investment Size: $5-$20M
SD Portfolio Companies: Avexus, Peachjar, and pSemi
Named after the Okapi, only living relative of the Giraffe, Okapi Venture Capital is the embodiment of their symbolic counterpart. Okapi live in dense tropical forests and nurture their young through birth, much like Okapi VC. The dense forests being venture capital as a whole and their young being the portfolio companies they invest in.
Located in Ladera Ranch, CA, invests in innovative enterprise technology, consumer technology, and multidisciplinary opportunities that converge different technologies. Focused on the Seed stage, Okapi typically initially invests $1M. While looking to grow with their portfolio companies and fill the “Series A gap” left by venture capitalists investing in later stages and larger investments.
Geographically Okapi is invested in the Southern California ecosystem, also known as the “Tech Coast.” From Santa Barbara to the Mexican Border Okapi invests in the rich region of Southern California. With investments into San Diego companies like Daasity, Transaction Wireless, Ubiq, ChromaCode, Helixis, and Obalon Okapi are doing just that.
Thesis: Southern California Enterprise and Consumer Technology Companies
Industry: Software, Saas, FinTech, and Multidisciplinary Opportunities
Location: Newport Beach, CA
Stage: Seed
Initial Investment Size: $1M
SD Portfolio Companies: Daasity, Transaction Wireless, Ubiq, ChromaCode, Helixis, and Obalon Therapeutics
Here at Connect, our mission is to help San Diego’s incredible startup companies grow and succeed. One way we do that is by connecting our startups to venture capitalists. If you are interested in getting connected with our network, we recommend you apply to our program, Springboard. In this program, you will get the opportunity to speak with expert advisors.
Keep on charging forward,
The Connect Team